Grijalva: Vast Majority of House Progressives Not Prepared to 'Surrender' on Public Option

Grijalva: Vast Majority of House Progressives Not Prepared to 'Surrender' on Public Option

by

Brian Beutler

A key House liberal, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chair of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus, says that a vast majority of House
liberals aren't about to agree to another compromise on the public
option.

"The vast majority of CPC is not prepared to wave a white flag on public option," Grijalva told Greg Sargent. "A trigger would be a surrender."

As Greg notes, a vast majority of the 60-or-so members who vowed to
oppose a bill without a public option would still be enough to ensure
that the bill did not pass.

By way of contrast, House Majority leader Steny Hoyer says the public option might have to go. And a knowledgeable House aide tells me that many progressives are looking at other ways to achieve "real reform."

As before, House leaders can only lose 38 votes within the Democratic caucus if a bill is going to pass.

Further

With the toxic Bibi circus in town - cue talk of "tentacles of terror" - find hope in the extraordinary Combatants For Peace, a joint effort by weary Israeli and Palestinian veterans of violence who've laid down their guns to fight for peace. Led by a former IDF soldier and Fatah militant who both lost daughters to the conflict's "unrightable wrongs," they insist on the need to "hear what is painful" and talk to your 'enemies': "Partners for peace always exist. You only have to look for them."